Venetian blind fixture



SePf- 30, 1947. F. E. BaEz, JR., ETAL 2,428,197

' VENETIAN BLIND FIXTURE `Filed Oct. 15, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept 30,1947. F. E BRETZ, JR., Erm.

VENETIAN BLIND FXTURE Filed oct. 1S, 1945 2 sheets-sheet 2 PatentedSept. 30, 1947 2,428,197 f -1 vENE'rIAN BLIND FIXTURE Frank E. Bretz,Jr., AOak Park, Vand PeterF.,

Nardulli, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Ajax-Con# l solidated Company,Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application October 15, 1945,Serial No. 622,298.

This invention relates to xtures intended for use'with Venetian blindsand analogous structures mounted in frames having side channel guidestructures, or ways, with which the xture cooperates for holding theblind in desired position,

-In known Venetian blinds it is the usual practice to adjust theinclinationof the blind slats by means of a tilt rail operated manuallyby a cord attached thereto, and to raise and lower the blind by means oflift cords attached to the nose rail at the bottom of the blind, meansbeing provided for releasably holding the lift cords against movementand thereby holding the blind in adjustment with respect to lowering andraising thereof. The use of this cord is objectionable for variousreasons. The means for holding the cords frequently fails to operatesatisfactorily, and the cords often become worn or abraided to suchextent as to necessitate replacement thereo f, Further, the use of liftcords necessitates the provision of guide rollers and openings therefor,and the lift cords not infrequently become jammed between the rollersandthe associated structure.

Our invention is directed to a xture, particu--` larly suitable for usewith Venetian blinds, whereby a Venetian blind may readily be secured indesired adjustment without the use of means Vf crgripping and holdingthe lift cords as at present. To that end, we provide a xture readilyattachable to the lower ends of the ladder tapes of. a Venetian blind,such xture comprising hold-e ing members and means for normallymaintaining such members in gripping engagement with waysor channelguidestructures at the sides of the blind, effectivefor holding it in desiredad-v justment. 'I his xture is further provided with means facilitatingraising yand lowering thereof in the guide structures, and with meansrestraining it against tilting and consequent Vbinding in the guidestructures, the xture'as a whole being of comparatively'simplainexpensive and highly elicient construction. Further objects andadvantages of our invention will ap-pear from the detail description. fY

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front'view, with certain parts broken away, of a Venetianblind providedwith a fixture embodying our invention, mounted in awindow frame with side guide structures;

' Figure 2 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, takensubstantially on line 2-2 of Figure Lcertain parts being shown in plan;

Figure 3 is a'sectional View, on an enlarged scale', taken substantiallyon' line 3 3 of "Figml; Y.

'Fi'gure 4 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, takensubstantially on line --Ilcf Figure .fFigure 5fis l'aifragjmentary frontviewxf 5 claims. (c1. 16o-472)' of ther guide blocksfand shown insection. Y

We have shownv the` xture of our invention, by way'ofL examplegasA'applied to a Venetian blind y6, which isingeneral, of known construe#vtion. Thel blind 6 comprises laddertapes 1 connected by crosstapes 8upon which rest slats `9, the end portionsof the slats being reduced inwidth to provide' extensions 'I Ilv which project into channel vguidestructureel I4, mounted at the sides of a suitably constructed frame I2in which the blind and its,associatedfsupporting means areI suitably.mounted." 'Co nveniently, the ladder tapes .'I arev looped loven a'springroller I3, of conventional type, supported in a known manner bybrackets Ill and l5 riveted or otherwise suit--v ably secured to thebight elements of the channel membersl .of guide structures Il'. Each ofthe channel members I6 preferably isprovided with4 a lining'I'I o frubber, leither natural or synthetic, or other suitable'material of acharacter to eliminate vobjectionable noise due to vibration of, oroperation of, the blind. Lift cords I8 are suitably secured to t erll'er I3 so as to be wound thereon for raising the blind and unwoundthere# from for lowering the blind the vroller I3 being turned in blindraising direction by the usual spring therein. The ladder tapes 'I restupon roller I3 in friction contact-therewith, so that by turning theroller a slight distance in either direction the slats 9 may be tiltedas desired. The

ladder tapes 'I are'suitably 'secured at their lowerV Christo a`Ii'oserail or bar 20, to which the lift cords I ilfare. also. securedat their lower` ends, as will be explained more fully'presently.l

t will" be seen that the blind 6 may be raised andY lowered by means ofthe roller I3, and that this vrolled also provides 'means for tuning theslats ,9' as desired. Itis not essential to our instant inventionthat'the Venetian blind be supported'by the roller'lB, and, ifV desired,itv may be supported 'by means of the usual tilt' rail, or in othersuitable manner, it suicing to state that the 'blind isv suitablysupported for raising and lowering"t'lfIereof and'ior tilting the vslats9L If the blind be supported from ka tilt' rail, v'the' Iift cordsv I8Vmay be omitted, in which case'adjust'- mentof the blind, withrespect toraising and lowering thereof, maybe effected by'the iixturecomprisingthe nose rail or bar 20 and associated parts., ,Y The bar 20isof hollowconstructionand is con- Veniently formed of sheet metal intwo lengthwise sections', the front section 2| and a rear section22telescoping`the front section and suitablyrsecured thereto,'conveniently by means of screws 23'.' 'Collars' 24, carried' by clampplatesV 25, secured on th'e top' o'f frontsectionZI of 'bar 2U, receive.the lower .end Vportions vof the liftcords I 8, whichare secured linvthe lcollars by `means of 'associated parts, partly 'alzarsi' in bar2B. The lower end portion of one run of the respective ladder tapes `Iis clamped between.` y

plate 25 and the top of bar 20, plate 25 being sel cured to the bar byscrews 2. Thevlower endl@- i' .56 whichreceives ,theA outer end portion51a of spective ladder tapes I is seduredtobackwalld. of housing section22 in a suit-able manner,` con..

portion of the other or rearward runof thereveniently by a clamp plate25a secured to wall 22a by screws 21a and seating on the folded over endof the tape. As thus constructed, the bar 21B' is of light weight butrigid construction and pro- A vides a housing for the: parts mountedtherein. TheV slats 9 are provided. with slots 28 therein through whichthe lift cords I8 pass, as usual;

The front section 2| ot bar 2li isrprovidedv with a'flngthwise slot3.0.v through its front wall, conveniently at about its midlengthj; Thisslot 3U receives'the forwardly projecting pinch arm 3l provided Yat theinner ends'ofA two opposed operat-` ing members 32 of substantial-lyVZj-shape. Each ofthemembers 32 comprises a flat/body element 33'lseatingagainst the inner face` of front wall 2Iq. of section ZI oibarll',V apinch arm 3l eX- tending forward from the ginner end of body element 33and an `arm 34 disposed within bar 20 and' directed rearward thereof.The pinch arms 3l' are enclosed by a suitable housing 34, formed of. aplastic or other'suitable material, secured by screws 35, to wall 2m,the screws 35 respectivehr having a dat' cylindrical headr 36 whichextendsl into a. lengthwise sli'ot .31 in body element 33 of theadjacent operating member 32, providing supporting and guidin'g'meazrstherefor, the diameter of head 3610i screwy V35 4being approximately thesame as thewidthof'slot 31. Buttons'38, mounted onV studs 39 securedinthe forward ends of pinch arms 3I, are slidable throughy openings 40in the sides of housing 34, each of these buttons having aange 41|'at'its' inner end serv-ing to retain it within the housing 34-.` It willbe clear that by moving thel buttons36' toward each other, the operatingmembers 32 Varemova-ble toward each other, and upon release ofthebuttonsV38 the members 32 may be movedl apart. Y A guidev block t3 is mountedin each end of bar 2Q' and prdiectsA ouiuivardtherebejvrondl into theadjacent guide structure YII, this: block having a forwardprojection'44, as shown' in Figure 2, and having itsfront and ,backsurfaces, at the projecting; portion thereof, roundedverticaliy, 'asshow-n, moreA clearly Figures and 4. Block 43 is l'secured in bar 2li bya fcap screw 65 passing through a slot 46, in'back wal-l' 22a of housingsection 22, there being a.V washer 41 disposed over opening orsl'ot'ItIi` .and confinedv between rwall 22a. and' a spring lock washerlIfilfnagainst,which the head of screw 4'5 seats. Thatprovidesconvenient means for securing block 43 tightly in barV 20, and foradjusting block 43' lengthwise to vary its effecti-ve length or extent'beyondA the end of bar 20.

Each of the blocks 43f isv suitably bored for reception of aholding.member 5i) slidable theree through, this member 5'!!A being provided atits outer end with an enlargedhead 5i, in the form of. a .cubiform blockwhich is, slidable in a vertical groove 52 in the: outerend of block-43, head 5I being restrained by the side walls of the groove Y fromturning movement. 4'Iflglefhead 5I;` ofV the re,- spective holdingmembers 5111s provided withy a cylindrical recessrin its outer end,which recess receives a grippingmember1 or disc.5r4, secured therein bya screw55 or in other suitable' manner,

the member 54 and thebi'ght'portion of liner l1 4 of, channel ymember i6cooperating1 eiectively to lock'thefbanZll tothe guide:structuresv I Iiand to thereby hold it in vertical adjustment, as will appear more fullypresently.

Each of the holding members 50 is bored out lengthwise from its innerend to provide a bore Yan operating rod` 5l.. Outer end portion 51a of'rod51 isslabbedfo at one side, to provide a flat surface 58 againstwhich bears the inner end of a set screw 5S threaded in member 50. Backwall 22a ofhousing section 22 is provided with an opening- 69 thereinaligned with screw 59, for insertion of a screw driver, whereby theholding member 50 may be adjusted lengthwise relative to rod,v 5T, so asto varytheeective'length of the two as conditions may require.

E ach of the rods 5 I-'passes through an arm 34 of one or thev operatingmembers 32 and projectsak substantial distance inward beyond such arm,being secured thereto in a suitable manner, conveniently by welding asat 6l. The inner portions.

EI'b 'of' the rods 5I-l are spaced apart Va suitablev distance at theirinner ends andreceive` a cornpression coil spring t2A piloted thereonand conned under compression between the arms 34. As will be understood,spring 62- urges the holding members 50 outward through` blocks,` 43andis eirectivefor holding the gripping discs 54 in gripping contactwith the liner II-f' of channel I6. By forcing the buttons 3Btoward eachother, the holdingmembers 50. are retracted, so as to releasethe bar'2--from the guide structures to permit desired adjustment thereof, andupon re-l lease of thebuttons 38 the'bar 20- is again securedadjustment. While we have shown. friction gripping meansfor holding bar23 inV adjustment, any other suitable means may be provided for thatpurpose within the broader aspects ofv our invention. j

In order to facilitate adjustment of bar 20 within the side guidestructures, we provide each of they blocks 43`with rollers 63 mountedvin groove 5'2,v on bearingpins 64, asis shown more clearly in Figures 3Vto 5, inclusive. TheV rollers 63 are dis.- posed above an-d below head-5I -oi holding member'S,I andproject outward Vbeyond block 43 toaslightly less extent than the gripping disc 54. When the'holding membersSli-areretracted', the rollers 63 may contact the bight portions of theguide structures intheadjustment of bar 20, thereby facilitating suchadjustment. A substantially'vZ-shape'd bracket 66 has itsl lowerporti-on extendinginto- Ygroove '529 of the respective blocks 43, and,is'secured' tothe block in a, suitable manner,'conveniently by spotwelding. The bracket 66^is o iset outwardashort distance above blockMij/andA extends upward therefrom within the adjacent guide `structureI-I, headr`5I, of holding member 5B being notched out atlljcuFigure 5)to accommodate the lower end portion of bracket 66; Guide membersk 6 8',conveniently in the form of discs are pivoted on bracket 6, by pivotpins r69, one adjacent the upper end oi bracket 66 and the other a short'distancepabove the head 44 of `block ,43. The discsr 68 are disposedwithin the guide structureII and .are ofV a diameter but slightly lessthan the interior width of suchstructure, ,so as to'restrain'bar .2Qagainst objectionable tilting in either direction about the common axisof the holding Amembers 51'! and the rods1 51 'connected thereto. IWithin. the broader aspects of our invention, the'bracket 66 may beprovided with other suitable membersI for restraining. barZU'againsttilting movement, though the discs 68,

pivotally mounted, are preferred, since these discs have rolling contactwith the arms of liner l1, when moved into engagement therewith, andthereby prevent objectionable rubbing contact and possibly objectionablewear of the lining I1 incident to adjustment of the line.

It will be seen that the bar 20 may be adjusted with facility foreffecting adjustment of the blind 6, and that the rollers 63 and thebracket 66 and parts carried thereby contribute to ease of adjustment ofthe bar 20, by guarding against binding thereof in the ways or guidestructures and providing rol-ling contact between such structures andthe -xture, including bar 20, during adjustment thereof. Preferably, aplurality of suitably disposed rubber bumpers '12 are secured,conveniently by screws 13, to the bottom of bar 20 for contact with thebottom bar or sill 14 of frame l2.

As has been indicated above, and will be understood by those skilled inthis art, changes in construction and arrangement of parts of ourinvention may be resorted to without departing from the field and scopethereof, and we intend to include all such variations, as fall withinthe scope of the appended claims, in this application in which thepreferred form only of our invention has been disclosed.

We claim:

1. In a fixture of the character described, a hollow bar, channel guidestructures adjacent the ends of said bar, blocks secured in the ends ofsaid bar and projecting outward therebeyond for engagement with saidguide structures therein, said blocks having vertical grooves in theirouter ends, holding members projectable lengthwise l ends heads slidablein said grooves provided with gripping elements cooperable with saidguide structures in the projected position of said members, meansyieldingly urging said members outwardly and for retracting them, andbrackets secured in said grooves of said blocks extending upwardlytherefrom and provided with elements disposed within said channel guidestructures for restraining said bar against tilting movement.

2. In a xture of the character described, a hollow bar, channel guidestructures adjacent the ends of said bar, blocks secured in the ends ofsaid bar, and projecting outward therebeyond for engagement with saidguide structures therein, said blocks having vertical grooves in theirouter ends, holding members projectable lengthwise through said blocksand having at their outer ends heads slidable in said grooves providedwith gripping elements cooperable with said guide structures in theprojected position of said meinbers, guide rollers mounted in saidgrooves transversely thereof above and below said heads and extendingoutwardly beyond said blocks, means yieldingly urging said membersoutwardly and for retracting them, and Abrackets secured in said groovesof said blocks extending upwardly therefrom and provided with elementsdisposed within said channel guide structures for restraining said baragainst tilting movement.

3. In a xture of the character described, a hollow bar, holding membersslidably mounted in the ends of said bar and movable outwardtherebeyond, opposed operating members having at their adjacent endspinch arms extending forwardly of said -bar and at their other ends armswithin said bar directed rearwardly thereof, operating rods securedthrough said rearwardly directed arms and attached at their outer endsto said holding members, yielding means piloted on the inner portions ofsaid rods confined between said rearwardly directed arms and yieldinglyurging them apart, and means limiting movement of said operating membersby said yielding means.

4. In a fixture of the character described, a hollow bar, holdingmembers slidably mounted in the ends of said bar and movable outwardtherebeyond, opposed substantially Z-shaped operating members mounted insaid bar and having at their adjacent ends pinch arms extending throughand slidable in the front wall of said bar and at their other ends armswithin said bar'directed rearwardly thereof, operating rods securedthrough said rearwardly directed arms and attached at their outer endsto said holding members, and a compression spring piloted on the innerportions of said rods and confined between said rearwardly directed armsyieldingly urging them apart.

5. In a ixture of the character described, a hollow bar having alengthwise slot in its front wall, holding members slidably mounted inthe ends of said bar and movable outward therebeyond, opposedsubstantially Z-shaped members each comprising a body element adjacentthe inner face of the front Wall of said bar having a lengthwise slottherein, a pinch arm at the inner end of said body element extendingforward of said bar through said rst slot and an arm at the outer end ofsaid body element directed rearwardly of said bar, operating rodssecured through said rearwardly directed arms and attached at theirouter ends to said holding members, a compression spring piloted on theinner portions of said rods and conned between said rearwardly directedarms and yieldingly urging them apart, a housing at the front of saidbar enclosing said pinch arms, the latter having operating elementsthereon slidable through the side walls of said housing, and meanssecuring said housing to the front wall of said bar comprising guideelements extending into said slots of the The following references areof record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 804,800 Emery Nov. 14, 19051,050,459 VI-Iotaling Jan. 14, 1913 2,187,242 Kesner Jan. 16, 1940

